what makes you say that

i absolutely love kendrick, think every project hes ever dropped is easily over 8/10 and always deserving of being on the years best list

but there are almost no redeemable songs on here. 90% of these id be fine never hearing again. the effort of having a message and solid themes is only worth something to me if the songs are still good on their own

theres 3 songs i kept from this project - for kendrick thats pitiful

Opening three track run is insane and promises a perfect fusion between Pop Kendrick and Conceptual Kendrick, but then there are a decent amount of tracks here that I just don't know why they exist

I think it’s an overall good album, but I get what you’re saying here.

This is why I think this isn’t as strong as his previous album. This feels like the first time in his career that his messages have completely outshined the actual songs themselves.

I’m not saying the production isn’t great, because it is, but it feels like the instrumentals on here are in a backdrop behind Kendrick rather than accompanying him and standing strong next to him. There’s isn’t a single beat on here as outstanding as songs like King Kunta, Alright, FEAR., The Blacker The Berry, etc.

I understand this was more than likely intentional for what Kendrick was trying to do with this album, but I think it takes away from the overall strength of the project as an entry in his discography.

It’s defiantly a grower. Hated it in first listen. But it’s not the instant classic kenny stans will have you believe, neither was damn or section 80

ur tripping worldwide steppers beat is INSANE, father time beat incredible too

Worldwide Steppers beat is dope, but Kendrick’s performance is what makes that song what it is.

Father Time is probably the best beat on this album so I’ll give you that

I only go back to Father Time, Saviour & Auntie

I get what you mean, but it actually is an average score at this point, fwiw. Most music is "good" and Pitchfork rarely hands out low scores anymore. I read a year ago that their average score was like 7.3.

thank god we have music critics to dictate morality and let me know whats ok and whats not ok to say. i wouldn't know otherwise!

y’all heard him. pack it up, ktt2 user mctate has spoken. you can stop enjoying the album now

"DONDA"

7.6 is low compared to most of ther other s*** coming out nowadays. But yeah it's probably tied for his weakest album for me (with DAMN).

Damn had higher peaks but this has a few more songs I'll probably keep.

I don't play DAMN but I still listen to songs from Good Kid and TPAB. Obviously you're not going to want to return to something as intense as u everyday but songs like Institutionalised, King Kunta or Blacker the Berry will always be in rotation for me whereas DAMN just seemed a lot more watered down and shallow to me

Also when they gave him the Pulitzer it made no sense. It just came off like they wanted to give it to a rap album and were atoning for not giving it to TPAB, It Takes a Nation, Illmatic etc. in the past

I feel like the more forgettable songs are needed as a breather from how intense songs like Mother I Sober, Worldwide Steppers and Auntie Diaries are. I'm probably never going to run to play songs like Rich Spirit on their own though lol

9.2 for damn and 7.6 for mr morale makes ZERO SENSE ZERO

Pitchfork is so trash lmfao

Considering how amazing the music is, I’m convinced you have just decided this for yourself and you aren’t allowing yourself to listen to the music honestly. This is probably his best album or at least full of some of his best music, easily

You're gonna play songs like sober & auntie on their own moreso than rich spirit? For me, those are whole album playthrough listens. Spirit, silent hill, savior etc are the ones I can put on repeat

Doesn’t matter much to me at all just calling bullshit when I see it.

You have more posts in this thread than I do so…

Mirror by Kendrick out now.

Aight, gatchu.
As for the last bit, we're on a forum to discuss, all I'm doing.

This just a wild take to me, feel like a lot of the individual songs on here are really strong

yeah because I won't forget about them so I'll always return to them

Don't get me wrong I do love some of Kendrick's more pop tracks. But I think he made his best pop music in the GKMC era like Recipe and MAAD City

but his absolute best songs are usually the ones with the super dense lyrical writing to me. things like Sing About Me and on this album United in Grief, Auntie Diaries. Mother I Sober. I love We Cry Together a lot too

Damn and Mr Morale scores should be flipped tbh.

And for as much derision Kendrick’s getting from bemoaning cancel culture and social media stifling creativity, I think these publications’s takes on Aunty Diaries is proving his point. Obviously the song is coming from a place of love and respect but it instead gets twisted because of certain faux pas’s as if that’s more important than the actual message of the song. It seems a lot more constructive to celebrate a rapper making a song that celebrates transgenderism rather than give all your energy into criticizing that he’s “making himself the main character” but that’s just me.